Friday, January 26, 2018

Book Review: 'The Legends Of Luke Skywalker' by Ken Liu & JG Jones

'The Legends Of Luke Skywalker' by Ken Liu is a collection of 6 short stories as told by the deckhands of a long haul freighter, the Wayward Current, to pass the time as they travel on their way to Canto Bight.

Each member of the crew shares a tale about Luke Skywalker, some twisting what we already know in Star Wars lore, some sounding plausible, while others sounding just plain ridiculous!

My favourites are 'Fishing In The Deluge' about the people of Lew'el and their faith in the Tide (a similar power to the Force), and 'Big Inside' where Luke and a young biology student find themselves trapped inside a giant Exogorth (a space slug as seen in 'The Empire Strikes Back'). These stories feel the most authentic, and most likely out of all the tall tales in this anthology, which is probably why they're the ones I enjoyed the most.

I also enjoyed the interludes between the tales. It set up the framework and setting of the Wayward Current freighter really well, essentially giving you another story that weaves in and out throughout the book. The illustrations by JG Jones in between each of the stories are really good too, and sets the tone of what's to come.

The story about a flea that lived on Salacious Crumb in Jabba's Palace, was the weakest out of the lot for me though. Entertaining enough, just a bit too ridiculous and felt out of place.

Overall, it's an interesting addition to the new Star Wars books, with a few tidbits that hint at the Luke to become in 'The Last Jedi'. An entertaining read, but not necessarily an essential one.